Heretofore, it has been customary to use pads of felt or fabric, or a blanket between an ordinary riding saddle and a horse's back. The primary purpose of the pad, or blanket, is to prevent the saddle from chafing the horse, and the secondary purpose is to provide cushioning and protection for the horse's back. These back pads or blankets do not serve particularly well the purposes for which they are used, especially the cushioning of shocks and pressure on the horse's back resulting from saddle contact and the rider's seat and legs.
Presently commercially available saddle pads made from flexible polymeric materials are available, however, these suffer from several shortcomings. For example, many commercially available pads are made from two or more layers of material which are glued together. These layers can slip past each other over time, or delaminate. The adhesives used to hold the layers together it often contains materials which are toxic to the animal and the rider. These adhesives may leak due to improper construction of the layered pad or adhesive failure, and cause rashes and/or allergic reactions in the horse or rider who is exposed to them.
In addition, many commercially available saddle pads restrict the horse's movement due to improper sizing or design.